The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean

Maia Chung

Jamaican visual artist Maia Chung started 2018 off with a huge development. The artist’s work has been chosen to represent Jamaica in the IDB Art Collection’s Sidewalk of the Americas worldwide installation this year.

The exhibition encompasses work from mid-career and emerging visual artists from IDB countries.

“The IADB works to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through financial and technical support for countries working to reduce poverty and inequality, we help improve health and education and advance infrastructure. Our aim is to achieve development in a sustainable, climate-friendly way. With a history dating back to 1959, today we are the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. We provide loans, grants, and technical assistance; and we conduct extensive research. We maintain a strong commitment to achieving measurable results and the highest standards of increased integrity, transparency, and accountability.

The Bank´s current focus areas include three development challenges – social inclusion and inequality, productivity and innovation, and economic integration – and three cross-cutting issues – gender equality and diversity, climate change and environmental sustainability; and institutional capacity and the rule of law. Click here to learn more about the Bank’s current Institutional Strategy.” Learn more about IDB here

According to Chung “this is massive for me. It is the IDB! My art is representing my nation and has transcended art, in its traditional manifestations and is now a voice for issues affecting my people”. She added, “This is every artist’s dream.”

Chung’s piece Miss Jamaica Pain has been selected for the prestigious multi-country exhibitions. The piece speaks to the number of damaging beauty issues now plaguing Caribbean women who are drawing their beauty standards from first world pop culture references. And is a homage to the Matisse piece Blue Nude.

The honour and exposure in the international sphere are being cited as great by Chung, who has been steadily developing her art career. Since formally starting her visual art career in October 2015 Chung has been doing well; selling multiple pieces to private collections…exhibiting at Jamaica’s most prestigious national shows and winning two national awards in 2017 for her work on paper Mavis and photo Ghost Face Killah from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).Her work has been featured internationally by the global art community as well.

“I plan to accomplish a lot more this year as an artist,” Chung said. She will be keeping people updated on the places the exhibitions will be mounted as well as all the other developments surrounding her first international installation via her website www.maiachung.com and her Instagram @maiachung. Information on the Sidewalk of the Americas is also available on the official website of the IDB.

Chung began her artistic life as a result of losing her mom, dad and grandmother to cancer between 2016 to 2017. It is a method of coping. She said that the only reason these great things are happening in her life has to do with God restoring her and working through her.

Maia Chung is also a successful journalist/author/actress/model and philanthropist.